The Old Bridge Knights fell to the Ridgewood Maroons in their first ever trip to the state finals, losing 4-0 in the statewide Group 4 title game on June 10, 2023.
Click below to hear Korbid Thompson call all the play-by-play from Bob DeMeo Field at Veterans’ Park in Hamilton:
by Korbid Thompson
The two teams on a collision course to Bob DeMeo Field in Hamilton took very different paths to get there. In the end, Ridgewood came out as a champion.
The championship season of Old Bridge – they won Central Jersey Group 4 – would have come to an end one way or the other on Saturday. Unfortunately for the Knights, they would end up on the short end of a 4-0 final at the hands of North Jersey, Section 1 champ Ridgewood (24-7) in the NJSIAA Group 4 finals at Veterans’ Park.
It was a scoreless game until the bottom of the third inning, when Old Bridge starting pitcher Justin Hascup would hit a bump in the road. Bobby Kuensler of Ridgewood started the inning with a leadoff single. Two batters later, senior third baseman Lucas Barker hit a line drive to left center field that cleared the fence for a two-run home run.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Hascup looked to be in the clear, as the inning started with two out and nobody on base, but Jay Wittmaack would the first walk of the day for the Maroons, and leadoff man J.T. Luther delivered an RBI single to bring home Wittmaack for a 3-0 Ridgewood lead.
Old Bridge’s best chance to score some runs off Ridgewood starter Vincent Luther would come in the top of the sixth inning, when the top two guys in the Knights’ batting order would reach base to start the inning. John Smith singled, followed by a Thomas Papeo single. Two batters later, Mike Villani single to load the bases. With one out, designated hitter Frank Papeo would step to the plate. On a 1-2 pitch from Luther, Papeo would ground into a 4-6-3 double play to end the threat for the Knights.
Ridgewood would tack on one more run in the bottom of the sixth with a first and third double steal, as pinch runner Zach Kranz would score from third base after pinch runner Calder Warden would steal second, drawing the throw from Old Bridge catcher Kyle McSorley.
That was all Vincent Luther would need. Luther would pitch 6 2/3 innings, having to exit from the mound after throwing 113 pitches on the day. Senior righty Brendan Chanley would come in to get J.T. Meyer to pop out to first base for the final out, and give Ridgewood their second state championship in five years.
As for Old Bridge, the Knights finish their season at 21-9 under fifth year head coach Matt Donaghue with a Central Jersey, Group 4 title in their trophy case.
Click below for postgame reaction from Korbid Thompson with Old Bridge head coach Matt Donaghue:
Very rarely does a team play a game it knows is it’s last of the season, especially a winning team.
But that’s the case for Old Bridge Saturday, when the Central Jersey Group 4 champion Knights (21-8, 7-5 GMC Red, 2nd place) travel down to Veterans’ Park in Hamilton to take on Ridgewood (23-7, 8-0 Big North Freedom champs) at Bob DeMeo Field, in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
Scroll through for a complete preview of the game:
Group 4 Finals: Old Bridge (21-8) vs. Ridgewood (23-7)
When: Saturday, 4 pm (pregame 3:45)
Where: Bob DeMeo Field, Veterans’ Park – Hamilton, NJ
Coverage: Korbid Thompson on play-by-play (click here to listen)
First Pitch Forecast: 79, partly sunny, WNW wind 8 mph (out to left field)
PROBABLE STARTERS
Old Bridge: Justin Hascup (9-1, 1.47) OR Frank Papeo (6-2, 1.56 ERA)
Ridgewood: Vincent Luthor (8-2, 1.47) OR Brendan Chanley (3-1, 1.30)
HEAD COACHES
Old Bridge: Matt Donaghue, 5th season (82-62)
Ridgewood: Kurt Hommen, 10th season
Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with Old Bridge head coach Matt Donaghue about the Knights’ run this season, and the Group 4 title game:
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Old Bridge (No. 1 seed in Central Jersey Group 4)
Ridgewood (No. 4 seed in North 1, Group 4)
Game Preview
Old Bridge allowed just a single run – to North Brunswick in the sectional final – in four Central Jersey Group 4 playoff games, but found themselves in a tough battle with Eastern. They found a way, with timely hitting, good pitching when they needed it, and an aggressive style that caused Eastern to make mistakes they shouldn’t have. But that’s what the Knights do: put pressure on other teams. Expect them to do more of the same.
Pitch counts reset with four days in between games, so both coaches have their whole compliment available. JT Meyer was a surprise start in the Group 4 semis, and pitched well overall, the big blow a three-run home run by Sam Winsett. Justin Hascup got the win in relief, and is the more likely starter for Saturday’s game.
This is the first-ever trip to the state finals for the Knights, whose longtime skipper – and head coach Matt Donaghue’s former coach – Fred Cole brought Madison Central here in 1988, a year before they won the GMC Tournament. Their CJ4 title is their first since 2015, but they lost to Williamstown that year in the state semifinals.
Old Bridge is a veteran group. Thomas Papeo is the top hitter at .404, driving in 18 runs, while Kyle McSorley has a team-leading 27 RBIs and six home runs; both are seniors. Fellow senior Mike Villani is hitting .391 with 17 runs batted in, third on the team, and no bigger three RBIs than the ones he drove in with a bases-clearing double to left-center that tied his team with Eastern at 6-6 on Monday back at Fred Cole Field.
Ridgewood got knocked out of the Bergen County Tournament in its first game, in the Round of 16, with a 5-1 loss to Pascack Valley. But the Maroons have won nine straight since then, including their last two in their final at bat. They came from behind and scored two in the top of the seventh at Bloomfield in the North 1, Group 4 final to win 12-11, then won a back-and-forth game with a walk-off single against Bayonne to take a 14-13 decision in the group semifinals.
Ridgewood is a solid-hitting team, about 60 points higher than Old Bridge, which was right about even with Eastern. They have four regulars hitting .400 or better, led by senior JT Luther, hitting .442 with 29 runs batted in and three home runs. No one has hit more than four, but they have 18 on the year as a team. Jack Foerch hits .435 with a team-leading 35 RBI.
Pitching-wise, they don’t give up much, with an ERA of 1.73 on the season.
Can Old Bridge continue to rep CJ4?
The winner of Central Jersey Group 4 has won four of the last seven statewide Group 4 titles. That includes Hunterdon Central in 2016 and 2018, Middletown South in 2021, and Howell last season.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE OF OLD BRIDGE: